[arg_discuss] Open Source ARGs

[libfli at aol.com]

just jumping in on one point here - perhaps it is the artist in me.. but i think it is always best to know as much as possible about whatever art form you're exploring -
imo it is best for those jumping onto the ARG bandwagon to at least play a game or two (or ten) before tossing out a game or storyworld.  pointing to other art forms -

would you make a film w/o ever having watched one... oh but you've read about it?  you could, but it would more than likely suck.  i would love for more and more people to

create good ARGs and push the ARG envelope -  and i think those who will make great ARGs and push those envelopes will be like the "creators" who do it for

other art forms - these creators will love the genre and have a passion for it and want to know as much as they can before they make the big step toward creating an ARG.




(stepping off my soap box)




Jan


-----Original Message-----
From: wendy <wendeth at wendydespain.com>
To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG <arg_discuss at igda.org>
Sent: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 9:10 am
Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] Open Source ARGs







On Fri, 1 Aug 2008, Mark Heggen wrote: 
 


> It is a troublesome fact that most of the people who will MAKE an ARG in the 



> next year never really played OR lurked on any numbers of seminal ARGs, or 



> possibly any at all. 

 

Hmm, I agree with you Mark that getting good metrics is a real problem for 
the genre, but 
it's most difficult if you think of ARGs in isolation. If 
you think of it in comparison to a 30-second spot (be it a public service 
announcement or movie trailer... I'm talking about form, not content here) 
when they do surveys to find out how effective those 30-second spots are, 
they count it a success if the respondents know what the product/message 
is - they don't only count those people who can repeat lines from the spot 
or tell them in detail what the content consisted of. 
 

So I don't think we should completely disregard those people who just 
follow a few links in an ARG. They're aware of what's going on, and to me 
that's a win, albeit a small one. 
 

As to your concern that the people making ARGs have never played one... 
(or haven't played one recently) all I can do is point to other 
entertainment art forms. You may be appalled to find out how few 
television creators watch (or even like) televsion. Book authors are 
always struggeling to find time to read books. 
 

This isn't an unusual conundrum for creators of any medium. We do our best 
to keep up with what our peers are doing, but creative endeavors often 
consume our lives. 
 

Just defending the lurkers, I guess. 
 

Wendy Despain 

quantumcontent.com 

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